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Arizona AG Mayes sues multiple Valley landlords, software company over alleged rent price fixing

Mayes says the scheme has added to Arizona's affordable housing crisis
Apartment units.jpg
Posted at 12:39 PM, Feb 28, 2024
and last updated 2024-02-28 19:33:36-05

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is suing software company RealPage along with multiple landlords over what her office calls an "illegal price-fixing conspiracy."

There are nine major Phoenix and Tucson area landlords named as defendants in the suit, including Apartment Management Consultants (AMC), Greystar Management Services, and HSL Properties.

“The conspiracy allegedly engaged in by RealPage and these landlords has harmed Arizonans and directly contributed to Arizona’s affordable housing crisis,” said Attorney General Mayes. “In the last two years, residential rents in Phoenix and Tucson have risen by at least 30% in large part because of this conspiracy that stifled fair competition and essentially established a rental monopoly in our state’s two largest metro areas."

The AG's lawsuit accuses the companies of illegally colluding to artificially raise rents and conceal their conspiracy from the public. It also accuses the companies of violating the Arizona Uniform State Antitrust Act and the Arizona Consumer Fraud act, along with costing Phoenix and Tucson-area residents millions of dollars more in rent.

"RealPage and its co-defendants must be held accountable for their role in the astronomical rent increases forced on Arizonans,” Mayes said.